Rams coach Jeff Fisher has denied as “absurd” the suggestion that the team drafted Michael Sam in 2014 to avoid the intrusion of appearing on HBO’s documentary series Hard Knocks.

Sam, the first openly gay player to be drafted in the NFL, was chosen in the seventh round by the Rams. and St Louis radio station 590 The Fan, citing multiple sources, reported that the Rams made the pick to be exempt from appearing on the show.

Fisher said: “That in itself is absolutely absurd, it’s 100% incorrect. I was really taken aback by those comments. It’s insulting, from my standpoint, as it relates to Michael. We had three seventh-round picks. When we drafted Michael he was the best player on the board. Who in their right mind would think that you give up a draft choice to avoid doing something like that?”

“We had three seventh-round picks,” Fisher said. “We drafted Michael, who was the best player on the board. And who in their right mind would think that you’d give up a draft choice to avoid doing something like that – something that I think would benefit the organization?”

On Wednesday, the NFL announced that the Rams would be featured on Hard Knocks this summer. Head coach Fisher has consistently been opposed to having his team on the show, but the team are embracing the cameras to promote their return to LA.

After Sam was cut by the Rams, he was signed to the Cowboys’ practice squad before being waived. The following year, Sam signed with the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes, where he played briefly before stepping away from his football career citing concerns for his mental health.